POETRY

MODULE 4
 What is Poetry?

• Poetry is a type of literature that conveys

a thought, describes a scene or tells a
story in a concentrated, lyrical
arrangement of words. Poems can be
structured, with rhyming lines and meter,
the rhythm and emphasis of a line based
on syllabic beats. Poems can also
be freeform, which follows no formal
structure.
 What is Poetry?

• The basic building block of a poem is a

verse known as a stanza. A stanza is a
grouping of lines related to the same
thought or topic, similar to a paragraph
in prose. A stanza can be subdivided
based on the number of lines it
contains. For example, a couplet is a
stanza with two lines.
 Meter in Poetry

• Meter is the basic rhythmic

structure of a line within a work of
poetry. Meter consists of two
components: The number of
syllables. A pattern of emphasis on
those syllables.
 What is a Stanza?

• In poetry, a stanza is used to

describe the main building block of a
poem. It is a unit of poetry composed
of lines that relate to a similar thought
or topic—like a paragraph in prose or
a verse in a song. Every stanza in a
poem has its own concept and
serves a unique purpose.
 Rhyme Scheme
• There are many different types of
rhymes that poets use in their work:
internal rhymes, slant rhymes, eye
rhymes, identical rhymes, and more.
One of the most common ways to write a
rhyming poem is to use a rhyme scheme
composed of shared vowel sounds or
consonants.
Types of Poetic Forms
 Blank Verse

• Blank verse is poetry written

with a precise meter—almost
always iambic pentameter—
that does not rhyme.
 Rhymed Poetry

• This is poetry that is divided

into stanzas or verses
(groups of lines) in which all
or some of the lines have a
rhyme word at the end.
 Free Verse

• Free verse poetry is poetry

that lacks a consistent rhyme
scheme, metrical pattern, or
musical form.
 Epics

• An epic poem is a lengthy, narrative

work of poetry. These long poems
typically detail extraordinary feats
and adventures of characters from a
distant past.
 Narrative poetry
• Like an epic, a narrative poem tells
a story. Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow’s “The Midnight Ride of
Paul Revere” and Samuel Taylor
Coleridge’s “The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner” exemplify this
form.
 Haiku

• A haiku is a three-line poetic

form originating in Japan. The
first line has five syllables, the
second line has seven syllables,
and the third line again has five
syllables.
 Pastoral poetry

• A pastoral poem is one that

concerns the natural world, rural life,
and landscapes. These poems have
persevered from Ancient Greece (in
the poetry of Hesiod) to Ancient
Rome (Virgil) to the present day
(Gary Snyder).
 Sonnet

• A sonnet is a 14-line poem, typically

(but not exclusively) concerning the
topic of love. Sonnets contain
internal rhymes within their 14 lines;
the exact rhyme scheme depends
on the style of a sonnet.
 Elegies
• An elegy is a poem that reflects
upon death or loss.
Traditionally, it contains themes
of mourning, loss, and
reflection. However, it can also
explore themes of redemption
and consolation.
 Ode

• Much like an elegy, an ode is a

tribute to its subject, although
the subject need not be dead
—or even sentient, as in John
Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”.
 Limerick

• A limerick is a five-line poem

that consists of a single stanza,
an AABBA rhyme scheme, and
whose subject is a short, pithy
tale or description.
 Lyric poetry

• Lyric poetry refers to the broad

category of poetry that concerns
feelings and emotion. This
distinguishes it from two other
poetic categories: epic and
dramatic.
 Ballad

• A ballad (or ballade) is a form of

narrative verse that can be either
poetic or musical. It typically follows a
pattern of rhymed quatrains. From
John Keats to Samuel Taylor
Coleridge to Bob Dylan, it represents a
melodious form of storytelling.
 Soliloquy
• A soliloquy is a monologue in which a
character speaks to him or herself,
expressing inner thoughts that an
audience might not otherwise know.
Soliloquies are not definitionally
poems, although they often can be—
most famously in the plays of William
Shakespeare.
 Villanelle
• A nineteen-line poem consisting of
five tercets and a quatrain, with a
highly specified internal rhyme
scheme. Originally a variation on a
pastoral, the villanelle has evolved
to describe obsessions and other
intense subject matters.
DRAMA
 Drama
• Drama is a mode of fictional
representation through dialogue
and performance. It is one of the
literary genres, which is an
imitation of some action. Drama is
also a type of a play written for
theater, television, radio, and film.
BRIEF HISTORY OF
DRAMA :
HOW THE “DRAMATIC "JOURNEY BEGAN
 HISTORY OF DRAMA
• Drama is the specific mode of functional representation,
through dialogue and performances ( play, opera, mime,
ballet, etc.), performed in a theatre or radio or television.
The term “drama” comes from a Greek word meaning
“action”. Thus, it is one of the literary genres, which is an
imitation of some action. In simple words, a drama is a
composition in verse or prose, presenting a story in
pantomime or dialogue.
• It contains conflict of characters
particularly the ones who
perform in front of the audience
on the stage. The two masks
associated with drama represent
the traditional generic division
between comedy and tragedy.
The history of drama stretches
back to some of mankind’s
earliest civilizations.
• The two famous mask of drama
represent the division between
comedy and tragedy. They are
symbols of the ancient Greek
Muses, Thalia and Melpomene.
Thalia was the Muse of
comedy, while Melpomene was
the Muse of tragedy.
• The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by
actors on stage before an audience, presupposes
collaborative modes of production and a collective
form of reception. Western drama originated in
Greece. The origin of drama is deep-rooted in the
religious predispositions of mankind. This is not only
applicable in case of English drama but with the
dramas of other nations as well.
• This is not only applicable in case of
English drama but with the dramas of
other nations as well. The ancient Greek
and Roman dramas were mostly
concerned with religious ceremonials of
people. It was the religious element that
resulted in the development of drama.
The earliest origins of drama are to be
found in Athens where ancient hymns,
called Dithyrambs, were sung in honor
of the God Dionysus.
• These hymns were later adopted for choral processions
in which participants would dress up in costumes and
masks. Eventually, some members of the chorus evolved
to take special roles within the processions in which
participants would dress up in costumes and masks.
Eventually, some members of the chorus evolved to take
special roles within the procession, but they were not yet
actors in the way we understand. That development
came later in the 6th century BC.
• A festival of entertainment called ” City dionysia” began to
be held in honour of the God Dionysus and it featured
competitions in music, singing, dance and poetry. The most
remarkable winner in the competition was called “Thespis”.
According to tradition, in 534 or 535 BC, Thespis astonished
the audience by leaping onto the back of the wooden cart
and reciting poetry, enacting the character whose lines he
was reading. Thus, world’s first ” actor” was born and this is
how we got the coinage “Thespian “.
Types of drama
 Comedy

• Comedies are lighter in tone than

ordinary works and provide a
happy conclusion. The intention of
dramatists in comedies is to make
their audience laugh. Hence, they
use quaint circumstances, unusual
characters, and witty remarks.
 Tragedy

• Tragic dramas use darker themes,

such as disaster, pain, and
death. Protagonists often have
a tragic flaw — a characteristic
that leads them to their downfall.
 Melodrama

• Melodrama is an exaggerated
drama, which is sensational and
appeals directly to the senses of
the audience. Just like the farce,
the characters are of a single
dimension and simple, or may be
stereotyped.
 Musical Drama

In musical dramas, dramatists not

only tell their stories through
acting and dialogue, but through
dance as well as music. Often the
story may be comedic, though it
may also involve serious subjects.
Function of Drama
• Drama is one of the best literary forms through which dramatists can
directly speak to their readers, or the audience, and they can receive
instant feedback of audiences. A few dramatists use their characters as
a vehicle to convey their thoughts and values, such as poets do
with personas, and novelists do with narrators. Since drama uses
spoken words and dialogues, thus language of characters plays a vital
role, as it may give clues to their feelings, personalities, backgrounds,
and change in feelings. In dramas the characters live out a story
without any comments of the author, providing the audience a direct
presentation of characters’ life experiences.